Radiant heating furniture



April 12, 1966 F. M. SAYLES ETAL RADIANT HEATING FURNITURE Filed Jan. 31, 1964 IN VE N TORS Farresi ll. jay/e5. Joanna Z Say/e5.

United States Patent 3,246,118 RADIANT HEATING FURNITURE Forrest M. Sayles and Joanna Z. Sayles, both of RR. 3, Box 298, La Porte, Ind. Filed Jan. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 341,663 6 Claims. (Cl. 219-217) This invention relates to two separate and, in this instant, related arts, namely, the art of radiant heating and the furniture art.

For years the manufacturers of radiant heaters and of furniture have, no doubt, from time to time heard the remark that it would be desirable to have furniture made with a built-in heater. This was next to impossible until the event of electricity as well as the event of modern materials that were unknown a hundred years ago.

It is, therefore, the prime object of this invention to provide radiant heating furniture by combining knowledge gainedin the art of radiant heating and the furniture art that is exemplified in this illustrative instance in the form of a rocking chair as herein described.

Another object of this invention is to provide radiant heating furniture that can best perform the intended function when in the shape of a high-back rocking chair having an electric wire adapted to be plugged into any desired house current outlet, and with the heat of the chair controlled by a suitable knob on the underside of one arm thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide radiant heating furniture which in this instance is a high-back rocking chair having three separate heating units woven into the chair, which is of the cane-type of construction.

Another object of this invention is to provide radiant heating furniture that will provide suficient heat to heat an entire room if so desired.

Another object of this invention is to provide radiant heating furniture that is so constructed as to be next to impossible for one to receive an electric shock from the same.

Still another object of this invention is to provide radiant heating furniture that has its heating units so made into the furniture as not to be visible as heating units.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial view of the framework of this invention along with its wiring diagram, when the invention is in the form of a high back rocking chair.

FIGURE 2 is a pictorial view of this invention ready for use.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged pictorial view of that portion of this invention that is enclosed within the arrowed ellipse and indicated by the numeral 3 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a front detail view of that portion of this invention enclosed within the arro-wed ellipse and indicated by the numeral 4 in FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the figures in the drawing, the numeral 6 indicates this invention in the form of a high back rocking chair that is made by constructing a framework of wooden dowels 7 encased in plastic tubing 8 and woven solid with plastic-covered radiant heating cable 9 of any desired color or colors according to the dictates of the maker of the furniture.

In this instance, the aforesaid rocking chair 6 embodies a back 10 that is woven with one continuous radiant heating cable to provide a single heating unit 11 and sides 12 that have their uppermost edge terminating in the arms 13 that are formed in part with the heating coils or unit 14, while the seat 15 is also formed with a third heating unit 16.

3,246,118 Patented Apr. 12, 1966 All three of the aforesaid heating units that go to make up this rocking chair are connected to the three-way rotary ofl-and-on electric switch 17 that is shown connected to the heating units in the wiring diagram part of FIG URE 1 and in position under one of the aforesaid arms 13 in FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawing.

It is now obvious to anyone experienced in the radiant heating art which is, of course, electrical, that the maximum temperature that can be reached by each heating unit in this rocking chair or any other piece of furniture to which this invention is adapted, is controlled by the total number of feet of wire in each of the three coils or heating units that go to make up this invention which is so designed that its maximum temperature will not exceed 150 degrees Fahrenheit when all three 'heating units are turned on at the same time as will be done when it is desired to use the invention as a room heater.

Since there will not be enough of the plastic covered radiant heating cable 9 to completely fill in the space between and around the Wooden dowels 7, it will be necessary for one to employ non-heating wire that should also be plastic covered and of the same diameter as that of the aforesaid plastic covered radiant heating cable 9. The non-heating wire is indicated in FIGURES 2 and 3 by the reference numeral 13, while the electric plug is indicated by the reference numeral 19 and is connected to the electric circuit of the invention by means of the flexible electric cord 20 of any desired length. The plug 19 is, of course, plugged into the outlet of the house current or the equivalent. The first position of the rotary electric switch 17 will activate the high heat coil or unit 11 that is in the back of the chair, while the second position will activate the coils or unit 14 that is in the arms 13 of the rocking chair at a temperature of degrees Fahrenheit and the third position of the switch will activate the heating coils or unit 16 in the seat of the rocking chair.

No description of the mounting of the aforesaid wooden dowels '7 is given in this specification since the actual construction of the Wooden framework of the rocking chair is admittedly old and well known to those experienced in the art of making furniture, and no claims are made for this portion of this invention of radiant heating furniture.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new is:

1. Radiant heating furniture embodying a plurality of wooden dowels each one of which is encased in plastic tubing and in parallel spaced relation to one another, means connecting said dowels to form the frame of a chair, at least one electric heating cable, the electric heating cable woven with said dowels to form the fabric of a chair, an electric switch mounted on the said furniture and an electric plug connected to said switch and heating cable, thereby providing electricity to the said radiant heating furniture when plugged into any source of electric current.

2. Radiant heating furniture of the character described and exemplified in the present instance in the form of a rocking-chair embodying a plurality of wooden dowels encased in plastic tubing means connecting said dowels to form the frame of a chair, radiant heating electric cable interwoven with said dowels to form the fabric of a chair, thereby forming at least one heating unit that is controlled manually by an electric switch secured to one arm of the said chair, means including an electric plug connecting the said heating units and said switch to the electric current of a building.

3. Radiant heating furniture of the character described and exemplified in the present instance in the form of a rocking-chair embodying a plurality of wooden dowels encased in plastic tubing means connecting said dowels to form the frame of a chair, radiant heating electric cable and non-heating wire interwoven with said dowels to form the fabric of a chair, the said radiant heating electric cable, thereby forming at least one heating unit, an electric switch secured to one arm of the said chair, means includ ing an electric plug connecting the said heating units and said switch to the electric current of a building.

- 4. Radiant heating furniture of the character described and exemplified in the present instance in the form of a rocking-chair embodying a plurality of wooden dowels encased in plastictubing means connecting said dowels to form the frame of a chair, radiant heating electric cable and non-heating wire interwoven with said dowels to form the fabric of a chair, the said radiant heating electric cable, thereby forming three heating units one of which is woven in the back of .the said rocking-chair and another in each arm of the said rocking-chair and a third in the seat of theusaid rocking-chair, an electric switch secured to one arm of the chair and connected to all three of the said heating units an electric plug and circuits connecting the said heating units and said switch to the electric current of a building. I a

5. Radiant heating furniture of the character described and exemplified in the present instance in the form of a rocking-chair embodying a plurality of Wooden dowels encased in plastic tubing means connecting said dowels to form the frame of a chair, radiant heating electric cable and non-heating wire interwoven with said dowels to form the fabric of a chair, the said radiant heating electriccable thereby forming three heating units one of which is woven in the back of the said rocking-chair and another 4. v in each arm of the said rocking-chair and a third in th seat of the'said rocking-chair, an electric switch secured to one arm of the chair and connected to all three of the said heating units an electric plug and circuits connecting the said heating units and said switch to the electric current of a building.

6. Radiant heating furniture of the character described and exemplified in the present instance in the form of a rocking-chair embodying a plurality of wooden dowels encased in .plastic tubing means connecting said dowels to form the frame of a chair, radiant heating electric cable and non-heating wire interwoven with said dowelsto'form the fabric of a chair, the said radiant heating electric cable thereby forming three heating units one of which is woven in the back of the said rocking-chair and another in each arm of the said rocking-chair and a third in the seat of the said rocking-chair, an electric switch of the three-way oiland-on type which is secured to one arm of the said chair, an electric plug and circuits connecting said plug, said switch and the said heating units and said switch to the electric current of a building.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 723,006 3/ 1903 Morris- 297-452 X 2,376,902 5/1945 Clark 219217 X 2,838,100 6/1958 Follows 297.421 3,083,381 ,4/1963 Bailey 5347 3,152,834 10/1964 Militano 29741l FOREIGN PATENTS 312,825 6/ 1929 Great Britain.

r RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner.

C. L. ALBRITTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. RADIANT HEATING FURNITURE EMBODYING A PLURALITY OF WOODEN DOWELS EACH ONE OF WHICH IS ENCASED IN PLASTIC TUBING AND IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER, MEANS CONNECTING SAID DOWELS TO FORM THE FRAME OF A CHAIR, AT LEAST ONE ELECTRIC HEATING CABLE, THE ELECTRIC HEATING CABLE WOVEN WITH SAID DOWELS TO FORM THE FABRIC OF A CHAIR, AN ELECTRIC SWITCH MOUNTED ON THE SAID FURNITURE AND AN ELECTRIC PLUG CONNECTED TO SAID SWITCH AND HEATING CABLE, THEREBY PROVIDING ELECTRICITY TO THE SAID RADIANT HEATING FURNITURE WHEN PLUGGED INTO ANY SOURCE OF ELECTRIC CURRENT. 